County Board Traverses Multi-Faceted Work Session Featuring Silent Falcon Drone and Corridor Connector Bus Operational Updates

The first order of business at Tuesday evening’s 6 p.m. convened work session of the Warren County Board of Supervisors was a re-arrangement of the agenda, which included moving a slated Closed/Executive Session for legal advice on three topics from the opening item of business to an undetermined later point.

The open work session then began with presentations by representatives of, first the Virginia Regional Transit Central District/Corridor Connector bus system (2:10 video mark); then the Front Royal Airport (FRR) based Silent Falcon company (14:20 video mark).

Va. Regional Transit Central District Manager Michael Socha opened the work session with an upbeat update on the ‘Corridor Connector’ town to county bus transportation operation (2:10 video mark). Below, Silent Falcon CEO Grant Bishop followed with a report on his company’s changing operational focus and its potential from coupling drone and A.I. technologies to improve airport inspections and safety standards, which Silent Falcon appears to stand at ground zero of (14:20 video mark).

The third presentation was financial contractor Davenport company’s review of the County’s current financial status and rating assessment by Moody’s (1:04:55 video mark). On that latter front the board was told the County has been able to maintain a “very strong” Double AA financial rating, Double AA+ in some areas, with Triple AAA being the top of the financial heap rating.

Chairman Vicky Cook asked why the FR-WC EDA debts, including from the financial scandal era, weren’t included in the County financial analysis. It was explained that the EDA being a separate quasi-governmental entity, albeit one created by municipal governments to assist in their positive economic development, are the officially responsible agency for their debt, not the municipality, in this case Warren County and likely also the Town of Front Royal, which was a participating founding entity at the time the existing EDA debt was created. However, the Davenport rep indicated that he was working with County EDA Director Joe Petty on potential implications or impacts of that EDA debt on county finances were the now County-overseen EDA to default on its debt.

Earlier, Petty explained in introducing the Silent Falcon presentation, that the company which relocated here from New Mexico several years ago amidst the initial COVID pandemic impacts, is seeking a Letter of Support from the county supervisors for a 15-month extension of it operational programs based out of the County-owned Front Royal Airport. Silent Falcon’s business realignment from the manufacture of drones from their pre-COVID, New Mexico headquarter days, to their drones use in conjunction with A.I. technology to map out and identify physical problem areas at airports on a global scale, was explained in some detail. It is a change of business focus since arriving here at the County airport.

And while Supervisor Cheryl Cullers pointed out the company hadn’t met its projected employee and salary benchmarks presented with their arrival, saying she would need “more info to endorse” an extension of the arrangement with the company, Supervisor Delores Oates countered that the presence of an evolving and cutting edge technology business in the community is viewed as an overall plus for economic development and job generation moving forward. Most supervisors seemed to agree with that assessment.

Speaking of the potential of expanding a global technology revolution in airport safety, among other drone-related operational avenues from a base right here in Warren County, here is a frame from the Silent Falcon graphic projection presentation.

Virginia Regional Transit Central Manager Michael Socha gave the board an update on Corridor Connector bus operations, and took suggestions on areas to explore, like running scheduling adjustments to accommodate shift changes in some of the north corridor commercial and industrial areas. Socha noted the 50-cent fare remains suspended and noted a new bus would be coming soon with no local match costs required.

Following those three presentations exactly where to place that deferred Closed Session came up. When it was suggested by Chairman Cook to finish the rest of the open work session agenda then go into closed session, County Administrator Ed Daley reminded the chair and her colleagues that they pay County Attorney Jason Ham of the Harrisonburg-based Litten-Sipe law firm “by the hour” and that Ham had been promised a relatively early exit from the work session, which by 7:40 p.m. was somewhat past the early departure window. So, the chair and her board opted to go immediately into Closed/Executive Session at 7:45 p.m.

It was an attorney-driven triple header Closed Session featuring legal advice regarding the pending three-party MOA (Memorandum Of Agreement) between the County, Town, private-sector Reaching Out Now group on resurrection of a community-wide Youth Center at the old Santmyers Youth Center facility owned by the County. Other topics were legal issues regarding board meeting policies and two county properties on 2nd and Hillidge Streets. The board and staff didn’t emerge from that closed session until 9:25 p.m., an hour-and-40 minutes later. So much for that “early out” for the drive back to Harrisonburg, Jason.

County Administrator Ed Daley, left, reminded the county board that their Harrisonburg-based County Attorney Jason Ham, right, was paid by the hour, including sitting and listening to reports unrelated to his work for the County while awaiting a re-positioned Closed Session at which he was needed for all three topics.

Finally out of closed session the board dealt with four more work session agenda items prior to adjourning less than an hour later at 10:11 p.m. Those included the financial implications of a Virginia 250 State Tourism Program matching grant that would move the lone existing acknowledgment of lost Revolutionary War soldiers on the Courthouse grounds, a foot-stone marker determined to have been gifted by the Front Royal Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1990, to a more prominent location and add a bench marker to that display. It appeared that cash out of pocket remaining to the County would be $1,625 of a $8,075 dollar 50/50 match on a total cost of $16,150.

Wait a second, the proposed new memorial bench won’t sit on top of the re-positioned existing county Revolutionary War soldier marker on the courthouse grounds, will it? – At least one supervisor, Cheryl Cullers, wondered after viewing graphics accompanying the Va. 250 anniversary grant proposal review package.

Next was a revisiting of Criteria for Waiving the 100′ Setback from Neighboring Dwellings on Short-Term Tourist Rental permitting applications. The staff summary of an inquiry by the supervisors on adjusting county codes to bypass so many individual application waiver decisions reported this:

“Both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors indicated a preference for keeping the setback requirement as a supplementary regulation that the Board of Supervisors can waive. The Board of Supervisors requested Planning staff to work on potential criteria for the Board to consider when deciding whether a waiver of the setback is appropriate.

“Planning staff believe building out criteria under the 100’ setback requirement in the supplementary regulations for short-term tourist rentals is unnecessary and could complicate the decision to reduce the setback. The ‘criteria’ is already in the Code.”

Planning Director Wendling concluded that while the staff preference is to maintain the status quo of the board granting waivers based on conditions specific to individual applications, it would be advisable for the County to work closely with neighborhood POAs (Property Owner Associations) to see that the interpretation of county codes regarding short-term rentals don’t automatically override “Restrictive Covenants” those POAs may establish for specific neighborhoods based on a residential majority’s desire that the short-term rental use not become an allowed use in their neighborhoods.

After delaying the discussion of the County Handbook on Personnel Policies & Procedures to a future date, County Administrator Daley led the board through a preview of the coming Fiscal Year-2024/25 budget meeting schedule. And with that, as noted above, the meeting adjourned at 10:11 p.m., only 4 hours and 11 minutes after it began.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Work Session of November 14, 2023.